Screams filled his ears.

The once great capital of the Celestial Plains was falling, and all its citizens could do was watch. Watch as more of them fell prey to the flames.

"Find her," His brother ordered, "I'll take care of the queen."

The Demon Prince nodded to his brother before he turned and made his way through the fire. The heat licked at his crimson scales, but no fire could burn him. With a flick of his pointed tail it rose into an even greater inferno, and he laughed as cracks appeared in the marble walls of the palace. Destruction came so easy to him.

He and his brother had come to the Celestial Plains with this very image in their minds: the white city in ruins. Queen Layla and her subjects were by far the biggest threat to their cause. If she had allied with the faeries, they would have lost the war.

They didn't give her a chance.

Spying the tower where he was sure his target was located, the Demon Prince spread his great red wings and launched himself into the air. He paused a moment once airborne, taking in the scale of the destruction that lay below him. Zeref's minions ran rampant through the streets; killing and burning and torturing and gods knew what else. Even now, he waited for the feeling of disgust to hit him. These soldiers were following the orders of his brother, after all. But the feeling never came. He'd grown numb to this life a long time ago.

He turned away from the awful scene with a scowl on his face, and flew towards the top of the tower. A window allowed him access to the circular room located at the top, but it was a small window. He hunched forward as he landed, gripping the window ledge with his clawed hands in order to steady himself. He folded his wings and dropped forward into the room.

He cast his red eyes about, and there she was. Cowering on the floor.

Her delicate features held the same expression as most people who laid eyes on him. The more religious of his victims had labelled him 'the devil incarnate', and he knew where they were coming from with their line of reasoning. The scales that coated much of his body, his red wings, his horns, his clawed hands that were so often coated in blood. You could die at the sight of END, some said.

The girl he'd come to kill, the Princess of the Celestial Plains, looked as though she could be one of those who died at the sight. Her brown eyes were wide with terror, and her whole body shook violently as though the city below them was freezing, not burning.

He looked back over his shoulder as the city crossed his mind, his gaze flitting back to the window. The light from below bled into the night sky, coating the horizon in a deep red that faded into black. The cities people would die under the stars they loved so much. Worshippers of light who lived under the darkness.

He turned back to the girl. Ah, she so clearly belonged to this city, he thought. The Princess seemed an embodiment of light. Dressed in a long white gown, her pale skin was adorned with gold bracelets on her wrists and upper arms. Golden hair fell loose around her shoulders, some falling in front of her face as though that would be enough to hide her from his sight.

He stepped forward, and her bare feet scrambled to push her further away from him, but her back had already hit the wall. The closer he got, the smaller she tried to make herself. She brought her knees up to her chest, her small fists coming up in front of her face, as though believing that if she couldn't see him, he couldn't see her.

"You don't have to be afraid." He told her, and he meant it. Dying was easy, he'd done it before.

Her trembling worsened, which he had not thought possible, and the room filled with the sounds of her sobs. He sighed to himself. He wasn't going to enjoy this. At all. And because his brother wasn't here, he wouldn't have to pretend to.

"Afraid?" He heard the girl whisper. He wouldn't have heard without his keen ears, but her voice seemed loud in his mind, jarring him out of his thoughts.

"I-I-" She tried to continue, lowing her hands from her face, "I don't have to be afraid?" The corner of her mouth twitched slightly as a breath left her, as though his words seemed funny, "You have burned my city, killed my people, innocent people, and you tell me not to be afraid?" She laughed weakly.

She was looking right at him. Right at him. No mortal ever did that. Not one. They couldn't stand the sight of him. They were too afraid to, they believed looking at him cursed them to damnation, it didn't matter the reason. No one ever looked right into his eyes as she was doing now, only his brother.

It unnerved him.

"Well, I am afraid!" She screamed at him, "I'm afraid that the world will fall into the hands of monsters like you and I won't be around to stop it."

Her shoulders slumped, the last of her fight leaving her body. All the mortals he'd ever encountered were all hopeless. Hopeless because of him. He was the end. You didn't survive an encounter with Zeref's own brother, no one ever had.

His eyes glanced to the door. Time was running short, his brother would be here soon to make sure the deed was done. He had to kill her now.

He kneeled down in front of her. She'd recovered her earlier position, but her sobs were quieter now. She seemed so fragile, like glass. Roar at the right pitch and she'd break, almost.

He reached out his hand to grasp her wrist. His red scales seemed even more barbaric when pressed against her white skin, and the sight made him scowl. Something so drenched in blood as himself touching something as pure as her seemed a crime against the world. He didn't really believe in hell- surely there was nowhere worse than this world? -but he thought that killing her would surely send him there.

It was impossible for him to touch anyone without drawing blood due to his claws, and a slight whimper escaped her lips as his hand firmly grasped her wrist. He pulled her away from the wall and she made no protest. It was as though her loss had killed her already, and she was just waiting for him to finish the job.

He lay her on his lap. He tried to be gentle, but everywhere he touched marked her. Beads of blood ran down her arms, and the sight made his stomach churn with hatred.

He hadn't hated himself this much in a long time.

He leaned over her still shaking body, wisps of her hair moving as his hot breath fanned her face. She'd squeezed her eyes shut long ago, and it only made his guilt increase that to her it probably seemed as though he was dragging out killing her, relishing in it.

He didn't want to do it, but he couldn't deny what he was feeling. His mouth was watering, his body craved it.

He looked to the door again, picking up the sounds of feet ascending the marble steps. It was now or never.

He made a split second decision.

"Play dead." He whispered in the Princesses ear.

He noticed her eyes flash open just before he sunk his pointed teeth into her neck. She gasped at the pain, hands pushing against his bare chest even as she grew weaker and weaker.

This was one of the worst ways he killed. He knew it was horrible to watch from the reactions of prisoners who were forced to watch as Zeref fed their comrades to him. He'd drink all of it, all of their blood, as they were forced to watch the life drain out of his victim.

But worse than the sight of his victim dying was the sight of him. It was hard to believe that he was capable of mercy when he had blood running down his chin and a lustful look in his eyes that only accentuated the more demonic parts of him. It was hard to believe he'd ever been human.

He hummed against her skin at the pleasurable taste just as his brother entered the room, a few of his minions in the doorway behind him. He knew they were there without looking up. His eyes remaining closed so he could focus on the taste filling his mouth.

"How does she taste?" Zeref asked, and he could hear the smug smirk in his brother's voice.

"Sweet. Like honey." The Demon Prince replied as he looked up to face his brother.

He noticed Zeref's minions recoil in the doorway, and shot them all a bloody-toothed grin that made his brother chuckle.

"I imagine her mother would have tasted even better, but alas, I don't share your demonic tendencies brother," Zeref replied so casually, as though they were discussing the weather and not sucking the very life out of someone, "She was a pitiful woman though. Wasted her dying breaths telling me I'm a monster. What a waste of last words."

So the Queen was dead then. Zeref had achieved what he came here to do. The Celestial Plains and all the power it had held was now unsalvageable.

"Are you done, Natsu?" The dark haired brother asked, "Or should I just leave you here?"

Natsu smirked at his brother's words before removing the body of the Princess from his lap, dumping her unceremoniously on the ground. He made no attempt to wipe her blood from his mouth as he stood.

"You wouldn't leave me brother, you couldn't live without me," He replied, placing his hand on Zeref's shoulder and guiding him from the room, "Isn't that what this whole war is about?"

Zeref laughed at his words, not noticing as the pink haired demon turned to catch one last glimpse of the Princess just as the door closed behind them.

He saw her fingers twitch.

He hadn't drank his fill, after all.

A/N: A new AU! Just to let you guys know, I have a lot of this written out already so although chapters are likely to be short, there will be regular updates. This is probably gonna be my most angst ridden fics yet, so I hope you stay tuned! I would love to hear what you think, so please leave a review!